With homes still charred lots, Palisades fire survivors find solace in temple reopening
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When Steven Lewis volunteered to co-chair a renovation committee in 2022 for his Pacific Palisades synagogue, he had no idea that the project would become his emotional anchor when his home burned three years later.“It was something positive that I could focus on,” Lewis said.“I don’t know how I would have gotten through the past year and a half without this project.”On Friday, the synagogue reopened after being closed since Jan.
7, 2025, following the devastating fire.Kehillat Israel didn’t burn but suffered significant smoke damage.
What had begun years ago as a revitalization project added a layer of remediation.It’s now one of the first religious spaces to reopen in the Pacific Palisades since the fire swept through the neighborhood where more than 70% of its members lived.Lewis and his family are among the 230 Kehillat Israel (KI) families who lost their homes in the Palisades fire, including the congregation’s two rabbis, with an additional 250 families who were displaced.
Most, including Lewis, are in various stages of grappling with insurance, permits and construction, whether they have to rebuild from the ground up or salvage their homes by remediating damage caused by toxic smoke.As part of its opening reception, the synagogue hosted Shabbat services.
The 400-person capacity sanctuary was stuffed.Neighbors embraced and caught up in the courtyard and social hall, kids zoomed around with friends, and, when it was time for services to begin, attendees clamored in a clump of joyful chaos as they attempted to enter the newly remodeled sanctuary.
Services were full of singing and speeches as congregants filled the rows, lined the walls, and spilled into the aisles.With a full band accompanying the Reconstructionist congregation’s services, the tone was one of joy, reunion and celebration.
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